Abdullahi Sule threatens to sue Benue varsity VC over ‘false claim’ on insecurity

Abdullahi Sule, governor of Nasarawa, has threatened to sue Zacharys Gundu, the vice-chancellor (VC) of University of Mkar, Gboko in Benue state, over an alleged defamatory statement.

In a letter dated July 22 and addressed to Gundu, Ahmed Raji, the counsel to the Nasarawa governor, demanded the retraction of the comment reportedly made by the VC on national television.

According to NAN, the VC was alleged to have claimed that Sule is “masking” the insecurity problem in Nasarawa.

“The issue of Nasarawa has come up, and we know that even during Al-Makura’s time, those people were coming there and attacking Benue, and Al-Makura would call them international hunters,” Gundu was alleged to have said.

“He would call them international hunters, in spite of the fact that Nasarawa does not have an international hunting ground; he would call them because he wanted to mask that.

“The governor of Nasarawa, Sule, is also masking the problem. Now, no other person in his right senses will ever say that the people who are killing and attacking us are coming from outside the country.”

But the governor, through his counsel, challenged the VC to provide evidence or retract his statement within seven days with an apology, or face court action, noting that the damage caused by Gundu’s comment is “unquantifiable”.

“In the foregoing premise, our client hereby challenges you to provide evidence of your allegations therein against him, which has seriously injured his reputation in the eyes of right-thinking members of the society,” the letter reads.

“Given the far-reaching ramification of your publication, our client will not sit back and watch his hard-earned reputation and goodwill destroyed by your malicious decision to not only lay false allegations against him but also to cause the same to be published for the world’s attention.

“Surely, the damage occasioned to our client by your deliberate but ill-advised action is unquantifiable.

“However, our client will be assuaged if you retract the said publication and tender an unreserved public apology to him in at least 5 (five) national daily newspapers within 7 (seven) days of receipt of this letter.

“If not, we have our client’s further instructions to seek redress against you in a court of law where exemplary damages will be claimed against you. Kindly be advised.”